Project summary: Boston University School of Medicine's Cardiovascular Proteomics Center will convene two symposia on a topic directly relevant to the mission of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, "Oxidative Post-Translational Modifications of Proteins in Cardiovascular Disease." The symposia will take place at Boston University School of Medicine, corresponding to years 5 (Fall 2006) and 7 (Fall 2008) of the NIH/NHLBI's Proteomics Initiative. The symposia expand upon our first, held in 2004 on the same topic, addressing the pressing need for rapid communication among investigators who are delving into a dynamic, emerging field. The specific aims are fourfold, designed to address the current challenges in oxidative protein research, to: 1) provide periodic review of, and peer contacts within, an unexplored research theme; 2) encourage student, trainee, and young investigator interest in the discipline; 3) encourage female and minority representation on the conference program and among the conference participants; and 4) generate reference materials and recorded lectures that will assist investigators in the new discipline. We have designed both a research and an educational track in a format that highlights both, overseen by an expert Scientific Advisory Committee, and carried out by experienced organizers/Three days of speakers are interspersed with short late-breaking presentations, focused discussion, and poster sessions by and for students. The biennial format allows time for important discoveries to be made and opposing viewpoints to come to the fore, increasing the likelihood that a long-term objective - that synergies within the research community are derived from each successive symposium ? is realized. National in scope, the symposium participants will be recruited from national and international proteomics researchers of the academic community and biotech industry, 10 Proteomics Centers, NIH, as well as graduate students of biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, medicine, and medical sciences. As an incentive, students could make use of conference travel funds specifically budgeted for this purpose. Relevance to public health: The study of proteins and how they are altered is providing fertile ground for investigation of cardiovascular diseases, from which nearly a quarter of the US population suffers.